Fear That Binds
by Actrez
Summary: It's the Golden Trio's final year and the students of Hogwarts learn everything is not always as it seems. [Full summary inside]
1. Default Chapter

Fear That Binds

By Actrez

Disclaimer: I own none of the Harry Potter characters, however if I did own them I would be getting paid to write this and that would be beautiful because I need money. Alas. . .

Rating: R for language, violence and possibly for sexual situations in chapters to come.

Pairings: Hermione/Draco with some Harry/Ginny and possibly some Ron/Other

Summary: It's the Golden Trio's final year at Hogwarts and things are changing quickly. Can the three friends make it out of it all together or will secrets kept tear them apart? Alliances must be forged as the students of Hogwarts learn everything is not always as it seems.

Author's note/warning: If you look at my profile you can tell that I have trouble finishing stories at times (it has happened though, no worries). I have a number of stories for various things in the works at the moment that I told myself I wouldn't post until they're completely finished. However, this is my first Harry Potter fic and I would like feedback on it as I go along so I've decided to post it as I work on it. Please let me know what you think of it (good and bad—just be nice, I don't take kindly to flames). And please stick with me I promise to try my hardest to finish but seeing as I am merely a college student trying to pay bills some chapters may come faster than others. Thanks!

Special thanks: I promise the story is coming, lol, I just wanted to thank my fantastic sister Nicole11 (who is amazing writer and I totally recommend her stories—especially Voldie's Gone Ghetto, its slap your knee funny) for getting me into this whole Harry Potter thing. Thanks sis! You're the best!!

Prologue

The morning sunlight crept into the bedroom from the open blinds, warming the faces to the two sleeping forms. Hermione Granger felt someone shift beside her as she slowly awoke; she knew who it was instantly as the events from the night before replayed themselves in her mind. Bloody hell. She forced herself to open her eyes and found blue ones staring back at her with just a hint of panic in them.

"Morning," Ron managed an awkward smile which she returned with the same amount of discomfort. He gave a little laugh in hopes that it would ease the tension. No such luck.

"So. . ." Hermione filled the awkward silence lamely. She was painfully aware that they were both completely naked under Ron's blanket.

"This is awkward," he finally muttered, concentrating on the thread that had worked its way out of the stitching.

Oh thank Merlin he felt it too. She breathed a sigh of relief, "Yeah." Relief flashed through his eyes at her agreement. "They say the morning after is always awkward," she offered vainly, not completely sure who 'they' were.

"That's an understatement," she heard him mutter under his breath; she couldn't agree more. The need to put an end to awkward tension filling the room overwhelmed her; she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. After a moment of shock he responded by running his tongue across her lips. Well, she thought as he slid his tongue into her mouth, this is certainly not how it felt last night. She slowly opened her eyes to find him once again staring back at her. They stopped mid-kiss as smiles slowly broke out across their faces. The ridiculousness of the situation caused laughter to bubble up in her throat and she began to giggle against his lips.

Hermione felt the tension whoosh out of the room as they both fell back on their pillows, laughing. "Well, that answers that," she said as their laughter died down.

"Hell of a way to start seventh year," he said with a shake of his head. She nodded in agreement and they fell into a far more comfortable silence.

Hermione glanced down at her naked form and her grip on the blanket they shared tightened—her self-consciousness coming back full force. "Do you think you could. . ." she signaled for him to turn around.

Awareness dawned on his features and his face reddened enough to match his hair. "Yeah, sorry," he turned his back to her and she quickly reached for her clothes that had been discarded on the floor the night before. "So what do we say to everyone else?" he asked as she handed him his clothes and let him know he could turn around.

"I don't think we need to tell them anything," she said with a shrug as she buttoned the last few buttons of her shirt, "It's not as if anything needs to change."

He watched her for a few moments; despite their frequent arguments Hermione was one of his best friends. The idea of something jeopardizing their friendship made his stomach churn. He wished he could remember what exactly had been going through his mind when he decided that shagging her would be a good idea. _I must have been bloody insane_, he thought. "So we're still friends?" he asked tentatively.

"Ron," she looked at him, shocked he would even ask. He looked back at her uncertainly and she thought he might have been holding his breath. A grin broke out across her face at his concern and she shoved his shoulder, "Of course." She watched as relief flooded through his form and he released a long breath. Her smile widened even more, causing her eyes to crinkle, "At least now we know," she told him with another shrug.

Ron looked as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. The look on his face let Hermione know he had felt the same pressure and expectations of their peers she had the past six years that they would end up together. From downstairs they heard Ginny begin to yell at Fred and George before Mrs. Weasley intervened. "I'm going downstairs, you should get dressed," she told him as she stood from the bed and headed toward the door. She turned back and saw that he had pulled the cover up over his head, "Ron," she let out an exasperated sigh, "You have to get up, we're going to Diagon Alley today remember?"

"Why do you even care?" he peeked his head out from under the blanket, "You've read all the books we need already anyway."

"But you haven't." She considered going over there and yanking the blanket off of him as she would have done if he were clothed, but stopped herself, realizing it would only make things awkward again.

Ron rolled his closed eyes. Deciding not to break her heart, he kept the fact that he didn't plan to _ever_ read the books to himself. "Fine," he heard her say as she opened the bedroom door, "I suppose if you don't want to eat before we go you can sleep half the day away." The door closed behind her as he yanked the covers down, "Not eat? Wait! 'Mione wait! What do you mean not eat?" he yelled after her.

"Don't call me that!" Was the only response he got as he heard her descending down the stairs. He could see her in his mind, wrinkling her nose in distaste at the nickname he had given her over the summer.

Hermione walked into the Weasley's kitchen to find Ginny talking animatedly to Harry about the upcoming school year. "Morning dear," Mrs. Weasley greeted her with a glass of pumpkin juice and a scone. Hermione accepted them with a smile and went to join her friends, sitting down next to Harry. Mrs. Weasley shook her head with a sigh, "RONALD!" she yelled up the stairs. "Get down here if you want to eat before we leave!"

There was a thump and a muttered curse from upstairs and Hermione hid her smile behind her scone as they listened to Ron scurrying around above them. He was stumbling down the stairs, still pulling on his shoes, seconds later and Hermione couldn't help but laugh at his disheveled appearance.

Ginny wrinkled her nose at her brother as he sat down next to her. "Did you even shower?"

"No," he told her simply before digging into his food. Ginny made a disgusted noise and Ron's head shot up, glaring at Hermione, "It's her fault, not mine!" he told his sister with a wave of his scone.

Hermione gaped at the boy across from her, "My fault?" Out of the corner of her eye she thought she saw Harry shake his head at the two of them.

"Yes your fault!" Ron said through a mouthful of scone. "If you hadn't wanted to leave so bloody early I would have been able to shower."

"Ron, it's nearly noon! It's not my fault if you want to sleep the day away," she told him haughtily.

"Well maybe I wouldn't have slept the day away if you hadn't kept me up half the night!" Hermione's eyes widened in horror and Ron's jaw went slack as a confused silence settled over the room.

Hermione realized that her swift kick in the shin to Ron was a bit of a delayed reaction but she didn't care enough to stop herself. The others in the room looked at them and she watched Ron's face redden across from her, well aware that hers was doing the same. _Ron you stupid git_, she mentally chastised him.

"How did Hermione keep you up half the night?" Harry gave his two friends a confused look.

The two stared at each other, each praying the other would speak up first. "Uh. . ." Hermione began awkwardly, "I was up late reading." _Great excuse_, she told herself as she mentally rolled her eyes. She knew Ron was thinking the same thing as he glared at her from across the table.

Harry seemed to be even more confused and he shot a look at Ginny who shrugged her shoulders, "Okay. . ."

"And she was humming!" Ron cried with a slightly triumphant look on his face. Hermione shot him a look from across the table and shook her head, his expression instantly sobered.

Harry turned his confused gaze on Ron, "I didn't hear her."

"It's getting late," Hermione stood from the table just as Ginny opened her mouth to comment. "We should go." The others seemed to accept this answer and followed Mrs. Weasley to the fireplace.

"You were _reading_?" Ron whispered as they fell behind the others.

She shrugged helplessly, "It's true," she said, getting slightly defensive. "If you hadn't made that daft comment I wouldn't have had to think of an excuse in the first place."

"Yeah, it's all _my_ fault," Ron muttered somberly with a roll of his eyes.

Before they could continue Harry appeared before them. "You guys coming?" he asked with raised eyebrows.

Hermione smiled brightly, "Of course," she said pushing Ron towards their friend. Harry gave the two of them another confused look before the three joined Ginny and Mrs. Weasley at the fireplace.

* * *

"Can you believe we're going to be seventh years?" Ron's excited voice carried throughout The Leaky Cauldron. "And Hermione's head girl, we're going to rule the school," he announced triumphantly.

Hermione rolled her eyes, casting a concerned glance at Harry who was suspiciously quiet as they drank their butterbeers. "Harry?" she touched his arm to pull him from his thoughts, "Are you okay?"

Once they had arrived at the Burrow to finish out their holiday he had told her he thought something was going to happen with Voldemort that year. She had tried to tell him that he was being paranoid. Even if something did happen, she had assured him, they would be able to handle it. Her words hadn't seemed to make much of a difference and she was slightly concerned, he had never been worried without good reason.

Harry met his friends concerned looks, "I'm fine," he told them unconvincingly. Hermione gave his arm a reassuring squeeze and Ron clapped him on the back. His friends knew exactly what had been concerning him lately. He couldn't explain his sudden paranoia. He hadn't heard any news of Voldemort over the summer, but that fact didn't seem to rid him of the nagging feeling in the back of his mind.

"Come on, mate," Ron told him cheerily, "Let's not think about that now." He shot a look at Hermione over his glass and saw that she had noticed Harry's expression darken even more. She seemed to force a smile on her face as she asked Harry about quiditch in an effort to get him to talk.

Draco Malfoy wandered into The Leaky Cauldron and sneered as he caught sight of the Golden Trio sitting on the other side of the room. Weasel and Mudblood were casting looks at the Boy-Who-Bloody-Lived as if they feared he would suddenly disappear in front of them. _Wouldn't be much of a loss_, he thought with a roll of his eyes.

The Weasel's eyes met his and narrowed into slits, "Malfoy," he heard him hiss. Draco returned the glare and decided it was time to make his appearance. He swaggered over to their table, a sneer on his face. He took one look at Weasel's muggle clothes and smirked, "Nice sweater Weasley, d'your muggle-loving father get it in one of his raids?"

Ron's face grew red at the jab at his family. His hands balled into fist and he saw Hermione glare daggers at Malfoy.

Draco watched in amusement as Ron reached for his wand. Hermione grabbed his arm, "Just ignore him Ron," she told him in that holier than thou way she had. Draco sneered at her, where did she get off thinking she was better than _him_.

"See you at school mudblood," he told her with a smirk. Miss High and Mighty pretended to ignore him but Draco caught her grinding her teeth in anger. He walked off, snickering as Ron made another move for his wand and she shook her head before turning back to the all important Potter.

* * *

Well? What d'ya think? I'm already working on the next part so hopefully it'll be up soon.


	2. Lectures and Insomnia

Tabii: I'm so glad you liked it! Hope you like this chapter just as much.

mermaidQt: Thanks for the feedback! I'm glad you like my story :-D

Nicole11: I should just start calling you 'Trump' cause I totally am your apprentice! I love getting your feedback on every chapter before it's posted, I'd be too scared to post without it! Thanks for all your fabulous help, this story is totally dedicated to you! "It really was!" indeed grin

Ok, so you all know the drill, I still own absolutely nothing, just ask my sister she's seen my apartment, she'll tell you! Anyway, hope y'all like the story!

Chapter 1

Draco sat sprawled across the couch that was located in what was once his father's office. He watched his aunt, if you could even call her that, pacing before him as he zoned in and out of her lecture. Despite the number of reasons he disliked Hogwarts, Potter being at the top; at least there he knew he would be free from the torture he was being subjected to at present.

How long had he been stuck in that room? He had lost track after a half hour went by. He was sure at least a day had passed, maybe more. There was an ulterior motive to this, he was sure of it. His family wanted him to miss out on the prime of his life so they locked him in a room with one of his least favorite people. When he finally got out he was sure he'd be as old as Dumbledore.

"You realize of course, how crucial this year is," Bellatrix Lestrange continued. Bloody right it was crucial. After this year he'd finally be free, free from Hogwarts, free from Potter, and free from his fanatical family. He began to zone out again, praying he would soon be free. "The Dark Lord will be in need of your help," his attention snapped back to the woman in front of him.

She had to be bloody insane. "You're in an essential position," she continued. Draco watched her with a practiced neutral expression. "None of the other Death Eaters are able to get as close to Potter as you. Your place at Hogwarts will be incredibly beneficial to the dark side."

"I'm not a Death Eater," he drawled.

She turned and fixed him with a cold expression, "Not officially." It was clear there was to be no more discussion. "Plans are being made, I was told to inform you that when your part in the plan is to begin you will be contacted with directions."

Draco remind silent, the woman had to be bloody mad if she thought he cared about what she was saying. He wasn't about to become a pawn in someone else's endgame. Especially someone like _Voldemort_, a man that was just as filthy as the mudbloods he hated. The fact that his family followed him so blindly disgusted Draco, it went against everything the Malfoy name stood for. His father may have disgraced the family name but he wasn't about to do the same.

* * *

Harry walked through the forbidden forest, the lights from Hogwarts slowly fading in the distance behind him. His wand provided just enough light to see the ground in front of him as he made his way deeper into the forest. He was there; Harry knew he was. He could feel him.

There was a snap of a twig from near by and suddenly Voldemort was in front of him. Harry went to raise his wand but his arm wouldn't obey. He was frozen, forced to stand and watch as Voldemort slowly circled him, eyeing him like a predator would his prey. "You can't hide from me Harry," Voldemort's voice seemed to come from inside his head, "I will always be a part of you."

Hermione appeared in front of Harry but she didn't seem to be aware of his presence. "She will be first," the voice in his head told him. A curse was hurled at Hermione and Harry was forced to watch helplessly as she collapsed into a lifeless heap. "When you least expect it."

Harry's eyes flew open with a soft gasp; it took him a moment to get his bearings as he glanced around the room widely. His heart was racing, hints of his dream still on the edges of his fuzzy mind. He absentmindedly rubbed his forehead as if it would stop the shooting pains. He threw his cover back as his breathing slowed to an almost normal speed. He walked down the stairs as quietly as possible, well aware he wouldn't be getting anymore sleep tonight.

Hermione was curled up on the Weasley's couch, skimming the book assigned for Potions that year. She had hoped she would be able to find something to help calm Harry's nerves but wasn't having any luck. She looked up from her book at the sounds of footsteps on the stairs. A disheveled Harry met her gaze and she offered him a smile, "You couldn't sleep either?" she asked as he sat down beside her on the couch.

Harry shook his head, still shaky from his dream and not trusting his voice quite yet. He watched the girl before him as she glanced back down at her book and the image of her from his dream came back full force. _It was just a dream_, he reminded himself. But it didn't feel like just a dream. In desperate need of a distraction he turned himself toward Hermione, "No humming tonight?"

Her head shot up and she caught the knowing twinkle in his eyes, suspiciously resembling Dumbledore. He knew, Hermione realized, she could feel her cheeks redden as she struggled to find an answer. "No, that was just a one time thing," she told him after a moment.

He watched as her face flushed and she looked down at her book, avoiding his gaze. "Did Ron—" he started, wondering if his friend had allowed an awkward situation to turn him into the git he could sometimes become.

She looked up at him, her eyes wide, "No," she cut him off with a reassuring smile. "We both agreed that the . . . humming was not something we wanted to continue." She couldn't believe she was having this conversation, in code no less.

Harry returned her smile, the absurdity of the conversation not lost on him. He couldn't help but feel a little relived at the news though. Although he had heard from most of Hogwarts, no one more so than Ginny, that Ron and Hermione were destined to eventually end up together he had never seen what everyone else saw. The two were friends but they were constantly bickering and Harry had always felt like, despite their love for each other as friends, they both deserved people they had a little bit more in common with. Plus he had never looked forward to being stuck in the middle of their lovers' quarrels.

"So what brought you down here?" Hermione's voice pulled him from his thoughts. She closed her book and placed it on the table in front of them before turning to face him fully.

He knew she probably wanted to hear more of his sudden paranoia concerning Voldemort but simply shrugged, "Just insomnia."

She watched him closely for a moment before accepting his answer, "I think they'll be a lot of that going around this year," she told him cryptically before picking up her book and pulling it to her chest. "Try and get some sleep Harry," she gave his shoulder a quick squeeze as she stood from the couch. "We have to leave early tomorrow."

He nodded; knowing there would be no more sleep for him that night and distantly told her good night as she began to climb the stairs. He glanced around the empty room, wondering what he was going to do for the next six hours before the house came alive again.

* * *

The next chapter is almost completely written in my head, the next step is getting it typed; hopefully I'll be done soon. :-)


	3. Confrontations

Tabii: Thanks for the feedback! I'm glad you like the story :-D

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Susannah: I was so excited when I saw I had feedback from you! I love both your stories; I'm so glad you like mine!

Quick Disclaimer: I still own nothing, as I'm sure you all know.

Chapter 2

Hermione was furious. She stalked down the halls of Hogwarts, not caring where she was going as long as it was away from the insufferable git she called her friend. In the very back recesses of her mind she realized that she might be over reacting just slightly. But at the moment she really didn't care. Ron had announced that he had decided to switch one of his classes around so that he could take another divinations class, like the subject was so great.

_"Ron, that class is a joke. It's our last year; you should be taking classes that will be useful."_

_"It's not a joke," Ron was immediately defensive and Hermione briefly wondered if it had something to do with the bits of left over awkwardness between the two of them. "Just because you don't know something doesn't mean it's worthless!"_

_She gawked at him, it was completely worthless! "Divinations is nothing more than a children's make believe game."_

_"You're just jealous," he responded with a huff, "You can't stand the idea that I understand something you don't."_

_"You don't even know what you're doing in that class, you make everything up!"_

They had glared at each other until Harry came into the common room and asked what was going on. Ron had said something about her being jealous and not knowing a subject better than a professor. She had been too angry to hear all of it and she thought she might have stalked out in the middle of it.

Her thoughts turned to Harry in an effort to calm herself down. He hadn't seemed much better than he was at The Burrow. He was constantly falling quiet during conversations, responding with nothing more than a few grunts. His behavior was similar to the one he had after Sirius' death.

She hadn't seen him much that summer but she knew it had been hard on him, when they had returned to Hogwarts he had been different, quieter and more reserved. As the year went on she had slowly began to see hints of the old Harry. Now, though, it was as if he were right back where he had been last year. She knew his godfather's death still haunted him but there was more to his mood than that. His sudden paranoia of Voldemort was more than he was letting on, of that she was sure. She wished her friend would trust her enough to tell her what it was.

She turned the corner and crashed into something hard. She wondered for a fleeting second if maybe she had turned too soon, but as she stepped back she saw that it was not a wall she had run into but Draco Malfoy. _Perfect_, she thought sarcastically. This was all she needed to make her night ten times better.

"Watch where you're going Mudblood," the blonde snapped at her.

The anger she had been feeling moments before was back in full force and focused on the Slytherin in front of her. The rational part of her brain told her to just walk away but the anger rushing through her veins caused it to be too quiet for her to care. Without giving herself time to calm down and talk herself out of it she swung blindly. There was a sickening crack as her fist connected with his jaw. "Bloody hell!" he yelled from where he was on the floor, his hand nursing his injured jaw.

She was leaning over him before he could make a move to get up, holding a fistful of his robes. She yanked him closer so they were nose to nose, "Don't _ever_ call me that again," she told him with a quiet intensity. "The only different between our blood Malfoy, is that yours is a filthy Death Eaters'," she spat out disgustedly. Her grip on his robe loosened and she shoved him back to the floor.

She was halfway around the corner when a bruising grip yanked her back. There was a dull thud as Draco slammed her against the wall, his face inches from hers once again. "You don't know anything about my family." The threat was clear as his steely eyes flashed with rage.

If she hadn't been just as angry Hermione might have been afraid of the enraged sneer etched onto his features. His look only made her anger grow though. Her eyes narrowed into slits as she gave a sneer of her own. "Hermione!" she heard Ron's voice call from down the hall. Neither Draco nor she made a move as two pairs of footsteps raced toward them. Eye contact was only broken briefly as Draco was ripped away from her by both Harry and Ron. They instantly went back to glaring, neither willing to back down.

Hermione finally yanked her gaze away when she caught Ron pulling his wand out, "Ron, no," she shot another glare at Malfoy, "he's not worth it." She grabbed Harry's shoulder and pulled him off the blonde. "Let's go," she told them, shooting him one last glare before the three of them disappeared around the corner.

* * *

Harry ignored the book in front of him and stared out the window toward the darkened forest, the place where his recurring dreams had been taking place. A part of him was tempted to venture out there, but then he remembered how every dream ended. His gaze traveled briefly to Hermione who was reading near the fire. _She will be the first, when you least expect it._ He knew he had no logical reason to believe she was in any kind of danger, butthe intense feelings that accompanied the dreams and the sight of her falling lifelessly to the ground were enough to cause concern.

A flash of light out the window caught his eye; he snapped his gaze back to the window and gazed out at the forest intently. The flash happened again and the tension that had built up in his shoulders eased up as he realized it was a reflection on the glass from something inside. He sighed and wondered how he was going to make it through the year.

"Harry?" Ginny's soft voice pulled him from his thoughts. He looked up and found her standing behind him with a concerned expression, "Are you alright?"

Harry gave her a smile that didn't reach his eyes, "Just tired." She wondered if he knew she could tell he was lying. She smiled and gave his shoulder a squeeze before going to sit back down.

It was obvious something had been bothering Harry since he had arrived at The Burrow. She had asked him a couple times what it was but he always said he didn't want to talk about it. When were her brother and his friends going to realize she wasn't in her first year anymore? She was only a year younger than them for Merlin's sake. While part of her appreciated that they cared enough to be so overprotective; she could take care of herself.

She noticed Ron crossing the room with an odd look on his face. Her gaze followed him until he sat down beside Hermione. Ginny rolled her eyes, when was her brother going to come to his senses and ask Hermione out?

A smile touched her face as she remembered what had happened when the three of them came back to the common room. _"Hermione punched Malfoy!"_ Her brother's announcement had been received with cheers throughout the room. Ginny was glad Malfoy had finally got what he deserved. She was shocked—but impressed—that Hermione had been the one to give it to him.

* * *

Hermione stared at the book before her, not actually processing the words on the page. Her thoughts were on what had happened in the hall. A part of her felt almost guilty for punching Malfoy. Not because he didn't deserve it, but because she was Head Girl. She shouldn't have let him get to her. The couch sagged as someone sat down beside her; she looked up and found Ron staring back at her. "Are you still mad at me?" he asked with a pitiful expression.

She did her best to keep her face neutral and he increased his pout; allowing the laugh to escape she shook her head. "No, I'm not still mad at you."

Ron relaxed and let out a sigh of relief. After seeing the darkening bruise on Malfoy's face Ron had been reminded of why he never wanted to get on Hermione's bad side. A grin began to emerge on his face as he tried to imagine Malfoy getting punched; he wished he could have been there to see it. Sure, he had seen Hermione slap the git but that had been years ago and he was sure seeing him get punched would be ten times better.

_And she tells us to ignore him_, Ron thought with a chuckle. He couldn't suppress the idiotic grin that spread across his face at the mental image of Malfoy being knocked to the floor.

* * *

AH! Finally done! I had a tad bit of writer's block with this chapter. Hopefully the next chapter will be easier lol. Thanks to all those who have reviewed so far, I'm glad y'all are enjoying it!


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